My brother is A and his wife is type B. I didn't know the blood types of their two daughters, and I had them pegged as Elder:A and Younger:B. On what grounds?

First and foremost, on the basis of my sister-in-law's two miscarriages, between the two births. As Dr. D'Adamo explains in his Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia and his Live Right 4 Your Type, often when a husband's blood type is incompatible with that of his wife, a child's blood type can also be incompatible; in these cases the foreign antigen can provoke an antibody reaction as blood is exchanged during birth, as in the classic Rh scenario. When this happens, it can provoke miscarriages of future incompatible embryos, until such time as one is conceived bearing a type compatible with the mother. So I figured baby #2 as B like Mom, and #1 as A like Dad (or even AB, but I rejected the latter for other reasons, especially that she is definitely more cortisol- than catecholamine-driven under stress).

Next line of reasoning: Mom and child #2 are night owls who sleep until noon if permitted. Dad and child #1 are "morning people" and like to get to bed on the early side.

Personality-wise: Child #1 has always tended toward worry, anxiety and delicacy, while child #2 is a hardier, sassy adventurous sort.

You can't blame me for my guesses, right?

Both girls have now donated blood. Well, I'll be: The elder is type B, and the younger is A. It's caused me to re-think and re-consider.

I'm thrilled that the younger one, who has been a vegetarian ("plus fish") for the past half dozen years, is type A. That'd been bothering me, when I thought she was B.

I'm puzzled about the whole B personality thing, however. The elder niece is very much the straight arrow. And that's what throws you. Her B mom, too, is not your arty, zany, multi-faceted, multi-lingual type. So my horizons are expanding, as I'm reminded of other B's, including past clients, who've been B and haven't necessarily fit the mold, so to speak. (How very B!)

It seems B can be defined, personality-wise, in this way above all: They do things their own way. They really don't care what all the other kids are doing, what all the other mothers say, how the PTA voted; you get the idea. I think A's are somewhat more bothered by aspects of their own differentness than are B's; A's want to fit in, while B's aren't even thinking about that. The A child can think: "I wish I were _______, like the other kids" where the B child is likelier to think "I wish the other kids were as ____________as I am", or, better, "I wish there were one other kid I could relate to". The A might be more eager, too, to adjust him/herself to others' comfort zones.

B's aren't necessarily in anybody's face about who they are; they just stand their own ground. My B niece fools you with her quietness; you think she's a shrinking violet or something. Then she reminds you that her quietness must be defended, when the rank and file college crowd want to drag her out to some party. She's like so many B's of the "No Thanks" variety; B has a very easy time saying "No". If you have daughters, you can sleep better with a kid like that! My sister-in-law is also very much a one-of-a-kind/majority-be-damned sort.

I see this as genetically-related, as reflected in B's anthropologic history. There are those A farms and communities, and those ambitious, covetous, power-driven O's within them. And then there are us shepherds out there counting shooting stars, checking in only to sell a camel or goat-hair tent fabric in exchange for produce. We don't expect the settlers to see things our way, to sell their homesteads and become nomads. And this minority-hood is a status we retain: Only 10% or so of humans are of type B. B's don't TRY to be odd; we just don't try to be un-odd either! That individual who frustrates your circle for refusing to toe the line is likely to be B.

Topsy-turvy. I find this out just in time to be grateful for it: The elder is going into surgery this morning, and whereas we all thought she'd be a nervous wreck about it, she's actually rather philosophical, taking it a step at a time.

My A brother has explained the A versus B crisis mentality thus: "I stress out, while my wife's the rock of Gibraltar for as long as the crisis lasts, and no matter how long. She holds absolutely everything together for everyone, until the crisis is over. Then, while the rest of us re-enter normalcy, she crashes." I don't know about the "crashes" part, but there is a certain tenaciousness that the blood type personality theorists notice in B's.

I've had many a B postpartum client who may seem to be "crashing". There's something dramatic about the way a B "falls apart". She's got amazing personality-integrity, so you know she's pulling through and getting stronger all the while. The B client makes no bones about it, in a "Let me put you on hold while I thoroughly freak out" sort of way; you know she'll regain her footing as soon as she figures things out.

I stand corrected. I'm only too happy to add so much intimate data to my base.